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Sirens
The Sirens are one of the most widespread of the known peoples of Avernus, being found in oceans all across the known world. They are an all-female race, who reproduce asexually, and who possess the upper bodies of beautiful Eldar women and the lower bodies of fish. They are divided into three distinct castes: the Sirens, the Siren Ladies, and the Siren Queens. The Sirens were once united in the ancient Empire of Varjinash, which was the dominant power among the peoples of Avernus for several million years before being destroyed by the Transcendent Threnody Dragon Alyrasin, as punishment for a long forgotten crime. Since then the Sirens have split into eight different Queendoms, each of which has its own distinct culture and specialties, with some of them having evolved into their own sub-species. Physiology Sirens have the upper body of a beautiful Eldar woman and the lower body of a fish, and are capable of slithering on the ground or swimming with a great deal of agility and speed. They are fully amphibious, being able to breath both in air and when underwater, and are surprisingly tough for their looks, being able to withstand a great deal of pressure. All Sirens are unaffected by the ravages of age and are capable of asexual reproduction. As well as conventional food all Sirens need to eat souls in order to maintain their psychic ability, and while the souls of animals work they are bland to taste. Sirens are split into three three distinct castes, each of which has severe mental differences. It is possible for all three castes to be born from any Siren, although Sirens of higher castes are far more likely to lay an egg for a higher caste Siren than those of lower castes. Sirens have an instinctual need to obey the orders of those of a higher caste, although the stronger willed Siren Ladies can overcome this. The most common caste are simply called Sirens, and unlike their kin have no more intelligence then a smart animal. It is estimated that over 99% of all Sirens hatched are in this caste. They are minor psykers that are able to use Siren Song instinctively, but are unable to use any other type of power. Most Sirens are members of the Court of a particular Siren Lady or Queen, and are bound to the will of their mistress. Some, however, are unbound, and are essentially wild animals. These Sirens generally congregate around the edges of the Siren Queendoms, and occasionally major efforts are made to bind them and integrate them into the Queendom. Siren Ladies are fully sapient and highly intelligent beings, and are far more powerful and flexible psykers than normal Sirens. As well as having a more powerful version of the Siren Song than their lesser sisters, all Siren Ladies are skilled psykers with a range of powers, of which an effective shield is the most common. Siren Ladies range from Epsilon to Gamma levels of power, which when combined with their highly developed psychic tradition makes them some of the better psykers of Avernus. All adult Siren Ladies have a Court ranging from several dozen normal Sirens to several hundred, and can exert a great deal of control over their Court. Siren Ladies make up the vast majority of the Sirens' intelligent population, and are responsible for the majority of the work that goes into keeping the Siren Queendoms running, either directly or through the actions of their Courts. Siren Queens are the rarest and the most powerful of the Sirens, with it being estimated that only a little over one in a million Sirens are born a Queen. Siren Queens are both highly intelligent by nature and also psykers of incredible power, with even the weakest being Beta-level, and the strongest being Alpha-level. The Queens are the leaders of the Siren peoples, and most Queendoms have under a hundred Queens in total. Powers and Technology Powers All Sirens have two innate powers: Siren Song and Soul Devouring. Siren Ladies and Queens are also able to learn how to use other Psychic Powers, with their main disciplines being Runecraft, Telepathy, and Telekinesis, although some Queendoms also have their own specialty. All Siren psykers make a great deal of use of Songweaving, allowing them to easily form Choirs and to use a wider range of powers then most psykers. Siren Song is a power capable of luring its targets to the caster over large distances with a song. This song is not purely sonic, as it can not be stopped by any purely physical object, and it seems to carry far better than any sound should. The only way yet found to stop someone who has fallen under the sway of a Siren from doing anything possible to reach her is to kill the Siren. Someone under the influence of this power will fight to reach and to protect the caster, though they will not be able to use their full mental capacities in these fights. It is also possible for a skilled user to exert a level of control over their victims, and even to allow them to operate with a greater portion of their minds. Some Sirens can build on this power to permanently tame beasts, or even, according to some dark rumors, actually enslave people. Soul Devouring is a power that allows the Siren to devour the soul of the victim. Powerful as it is it has several massive restrictions, the main ones being that the Siren needs to kiss the victim to use the power and the victim must be either unable or unwilling to resist it. As such, Soul Devouring is mostly used on either those under the influence of the Siren Song, or who have been mortally wounded, and who for either reason are therefore unable to resist. Soul Devouring can be used on daemons and other immaterial beings, making conflict with Sirens a terrifying concept for many daemons. Siren Runes are what sets Sirens apart from most of the peoples of Avernus, and are one of the most developed psychic systems known to exist. They are most often used to create powerful psy-active items, ranging in size from small amulets to massive ward systems able to cover entire hives, but can also be used to significantly enhance psychic powers. While it only takes a few decades of study to learn the basic uses of Siren Runes, a true Runemaster takes centuries to train. Runemasters are those who can use Siren Runes not as Runes to get specific effects, but as an entire language. It is they who can create the incredibly complex enchanted artifacts that are a Sirens specialty, or use entire arrays of runes to unleash effects of incredible precision and power. The greatest of Runemasters are able to reach beyond Siren Runes into the realm of True Runes. While details of True Runes remain few it is known that each True Rune is capable of incredible feats, being able to alter the very nature of the Warp to an extent. It is the work of a lifetime for even the greatest of Runemasters to learn a single True Rune, and few can push beyond that with Areatha, The Ancient Wanderer currently knowing the most, knowing three. Known True Runes * True Rune of Purification * True Rune of Fire * True Rune of Hope * True Rune of Water * True Rune of Darkness * True Rune of Power Technology Most Sirens have rather simple technology, relying instead on rune-inscribed items to fulfill many of the roles that humans use technology for. In recent years this has changed after the Avernite humans traded the Sirens a great deal of Tau and Quartok technology. So far the Sirens are still learning about technology, and have done little, if any, in the way of their own research and development. Eventually this will change however, and there is already talk about how to combine runes with technology. Queendoms Azure Bay The Azure Bay Queendom was the first queendom that humanity encountered, this time at least, and lies in the Azure Bay to the east of Dis. Of the known Siren Queendoms they are the most similar to the old Empire of Varjinash, being one of the few remaining queendoms to still be run by the great noble houses that dominated the empire. Unlike most of the other Queendoms, the Sirens of the Azure Bay still believe that the Sirens are the greatest of the peoples of Avernus, and are willing to devour the souls of sapients outside of war. Traditionally the Sirens of the Azure Bay have been known for their mastery of Warding, though recently they are also becoming known for their technological advancement thanks to their interactions with humanity. Deep Sea The Deep Sea Queendom was the second Queendom encountered by humanity and lies to the northwest of Duat. Where most siren Queendoms are based in the upper reaches of the Twilight Zone, the Deep Sea Queendom lies deep within the Midnight Zone, kilometers below the surface. These Sirens are significantly more bulky then their cousins, and have a layer of scale on their upper bodies, allowing them to better withstand the massive pressure at this depth. They are a far more militaristic society than the other Queendoms, being the second line of defence against daemonic incursions, and often having to fend off assaults by the monsters of the deep. History claims that they started off as a series of border forts of the Empire of Varjinash, a legacy that is still visible in many ways. The Deep Sea Sirens are considered to be some of the best weapon and armour smiths on Avernus, creating runed masterpieces which their highly skilled and disciplined warriors use to fend off attackers, often after inflicting significant casualties. Recently they have traded products from their runic forges to humans in exchange for Quartok technology. Turquoise Sea The Turquoise Sea Queendom lies in the tropical waters to the south of the Everglades, and unlike the other Queendoms are semi-nomadic. Where the other Siren Queendoms mostly grew out of the scattered remnants of the Empire of Varjinash, the Turquoise Sea Sirens instead grew out of the wild Sirens left after the fall of the Empire, along with a handful of Ladies who kept them alive. While Turquoise Sea Queendom does have a single permanent city the majority of their population lives elsewhere, mostly in mobile towns built onto large tamed beasts, such as kraken. The Turquoise Sea Sirens are considered to be the wildest of the Sirens, living as various tribes of hunters and herders, rather than the ordered civilizations of the other Queendoms. While the Turquoise Sea Sirens are considered to have the least knowledge of Siren Runes of any of the Siren Queendoms, their mastery of the Siren Song has no equals, as does their ability to tame the animals of Avernus with it. Frigid Ocean Less is known of the Frigid Ocean Queendom than of the nearer Queendoms. What you do know is that they are one of the northernmost Queendoms and specialise in the use of large Songweaving Choirs, possibly in imitation of their northern neighbors the penguins. Socialy they seem to be rather collectivist. Searing Sea Less is known of the Searing Sea Queendom than of the nearer Queendoms. What you do know is that they are live in tropical waters and seem to be more mercantile by nature then the other Sirens. The Searing Sea Queendom specialise in enchanting items with Runecraft, being skilled at adding conceptual, exotic, and esoteric effects to items. Ethereal Sky Less is known of the Ethereal Sky Queendom then of the nearer Queendoms, with you not even knowing where they are based. The Ethereal Sky Sirens are rather aloof, refusing to talk much to anyone who has not found their home. Their specialisation appears to be general psychic powers. Indigo Sea (no contact) You know that the seventh Siren Queendom is called the Indigo Sea Queendom but know nothing of them. Unknown You have heard rumor that there is an eighth Queendom. Category:Infomational Category:Avernus Natives